Temporal analysis of the impact of air quality on the relative risk of mortality in the population of the Southern region of Brazil

Abstract

Calculations to estimate the Relative Risk (RR) of air pollution on the exposed population are essential to create strategies for reducing deaths. This study aimed to perform a temporal analysis of atmospheric pollutants and mortality indicators, assessing the influence of air quality on RR in the Região Metropolitana de Porto Alegre (RMPA), Brazil. The ecological study was conducted between 2007 and 2021, using air quality data from FEPAM (State Enviromental Protection Foundation) and health data from DATASUS (Department of Informatics of the Brazilian Unified Health System). The mortality rates considered were: respiratory mortality in children under 5 years, all-cause mortality in all ages (PM10, short-term), and cardiopulmonary mortality in adults aged 30–59 years (PM2.5, long-term). These data were incorporated into AirQ+ through β coefficients, allowing the estimation of RR. Results indicated that pollution levels were above the WHO recommendations. The RR ranged from 1.00 for respiratory and all-cause mortality to 5.51 for cardiopulmonary mortality, with 217,311 deaths attributable to the particulate matter. Limitations include the dependence on secondary databases, the use of international coefficients, and restricted monitoring coverage. Local data gaps may compromise the results and reinforce the need to strengthen monitoring and studies to estimate the impacts of pollution.